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Watercress is a long-established traditional salad crop in other parts of the world, and its health benefits were reportedly observed by Hippocrates. Recent research indicates that a vibrant new watercress industry could cater to the demand for new flavours and healthy foods in Australia.

Watercress plants are aquatic members of the brassica (cabbage) family, and are botanically related to garden cress and mustard — characterized by a peppery, tangy flavour. The vegetable is associated with a range of health benefits and contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C.

A recent study by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) has indicated that larger scale watercress production has potential as a new industry for Australian producers

“Healthy and casual eating is very much a way of Australian life,” said researcher John Fennel, of the Department of Primary Industries, South Australia.

“Novel crops that offer new tastes and significant health benefits are always worthy of consideration.”

Some watercress currently sold in Australia may be wild harvested and may pose food safety issues, but there are also hydroponic salad producers that produce small quantities of quality watercress to meet the current low level of demand.

“Watercress may have considerable potential for expansion of production as consumers become aware of its attributes,” Fennel said.

“There is an increasing interest in mixed salads in Australia, and watercress may find a place as an important component of these mixes,” Fennel said.

“This has certainly been the situation in the United Kingdom where mixed bags of watercress, rocket and baby spinach leaf form the most popular combination.”

The plants are relatively easy to row, and production systems can be hydroponic or gravel based. While gravel-based production offers more cost-effective mechanized harvesting and handling, hydroponic systems offer greater water-use efficiency.

The RIRDC-funded research collates information useful to potential investors in watercress production and marketing in Australia, including new opportunities for its introduction into Australian diets, both as a flavoursome salad or in new cooked recipes.

Watercress has long been believed to have a range of health benefits, and the study suggests more research to validate claims including cancer-preventing properties.

“Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, is thought to have established his first hospital close to a watercress stream so that he could use fresh stems to treat his patients. Since that time science has identified many of the beneficial compounds contained in the plant,” Fennel said.

“RIRDC invests in new and emerging industries on behalf of government and industry stakeholders, to provide opportunities to be captured by rural producers and investors. These new industries face a number of challenges – developing product quality and quantity, developing markets and supply chains, and industry leadership,” said RIRDC Managing Director Dr Peter O’Brien.

“Many of these issues are underpinned by research and development.  Often, too, they are hampered by a lack of basic statistical information, which is why RIRDC has invested in this report,” he said.

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